Page 58 of The Devil's Embrace

“Troya told me where you grew up,” Aodhan said. “I know the place. Sister Grace still believes in beating religion into those under her charge. Their schools bring them into the hospital now and again, but not often. Medical bills aren’t cheap, and orphans aren’t known to have much coin.”

Cal didn’t know how to reply to that. He wanted to defend her, but logically knew that was programming more than anything else. She’d brought him up, made sure he was clothed and fed when no one else gave two shits about what happened to him. Allowed him to go to school and even made sure he didn’t have to go in rags or covered in filth like some of the other orphans from other locations.

And if she sometimes beat him harder than necessary? If he’d felt wronged, and like the punishment perhaps didn’t fit the crime? So what? No kid, especially a teenager, believed they deserved to be reprimanded.

“Were you into her?” Aodhan asked then, an edge to his voice Cal hadn’t heard before. “Is that where these morbid appetites come from? Some compulsive yearning to be slapped and pushed around by your caretaker?”

He made a face, grossed out by that notion. “Ew, no. She’s three times my age.”

“You don’t like older people?”

“I didn’t have the hots for my forty-year-old guardian at sixteen,” Cal snapped.

“That when you first had your sexual awakening? Cute.” Aodhan moved closer so that Calix could feel the heat from his body, but he didn’t touch him. “Who was it then, if it wasn’t her?”

“Just some other kids. They were older. I caught them.” He blew out a breath. “It’s a dumb story.”

“You’re right, we’ve gotten a bit off track, haven’t we, baby? It’s your fault. You should pay the price for it, don’t you agree?” Aodhan took a single step back, clearly not expecting an actual answer.

The snap of the belt in the air had Calix twitching even before the hit came. He hissed at the sharp sting, adjusting his hands on the table to better secure himself.

“Stay still,” Aodhan ordered, letting the belt fly again, this time with more force than before. He hit the backs of his thighs and then slapped his ass again across both cheeks, not letting up even when Cal’s sounds turned to cries and his entire body shook.

Chapter 18:

“Tell me how you’re feeling, Cal.”

“It hurts,” he hissed, dropping his head between his arms. The move gave him the perfect view of his dick, heavy and weeping between his spread thighs. He couldn’t tell if his face was wetter from all the tears or if his dripping hard-on was. “It hurts.”

“That all you got for me?” He tutted him and gave another harsh whip of the belt. “That’s not good enough. Try again.”

He’d agreed to this. Some fuzzy part of Calix’s brain reminded him of that fact. Here he was, bent over a coffee table, presenting himself to a respectable man of the community…begging to be beaten.

And he was begging, he was under no delusion otherwise, no matter how much he cried or how badly he trembled.

Cal wanted this. He wanted to be debased by the public's most beloved doctor. Wanted to be punished and forgiven for all his sins. He’d be able to breathe again after, just like how he’d been able to breathe for days in the post sex bliss.

“Please,” he said, “it’s not enough.”

“Want it harder, baby?”

“I want you to hurt me more,” he instructed.

Aodhan chuckled darkly. “Someone’s getting greedy.”

“Please.” He dropped his forehead to the table, lifting his ass even higher. “I’ve been bad. I deserve it.”

“Have you?” One of Aodhan’s hands stroked his right ass cheek, smoothing over the welts forming here. The touch both soothed and burned, a delicious combination that had Cal mewling. “Focus, baby.”

“I have,” he rushed to say. “I doubted a friend, and I—”

“I heard you had a conversation with the director.”

Calix’s mind went blank. “Who?”

Aodhan laughed, only stopping when Cal lifted his head and glanced at him over his shoulder. “Sorry, sorry.” He pressed a hand against the back of his skull and forced him into position once more. “The director of the hospital, Titus Mercer. He will not be pleased that you forgot about him, baby.”

“Oh, him.” Right. “He’s scary.”

---